philipstraatsma.com – Low-Fi

Workout Summary: 04Feb10

Back and shoulder day.

cycling
Set 1, 10(Duration), 145(Avg HR)
situp
Set 1, 0 lb for 10 reps inclined
Set 2, 0 lb for 10 reps inclined
Set 3, 0 lb for 10 reps inclined
dumbbell shoulder press
Set 1, 30 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 50 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 30 lb for 10 reps
kettle bells bent over row
Set 1, 24 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 40 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 40 lb for 10 reps
upright row
Set 1, 100 lb for 12 reps
Set 2, 120 lb for 12 reps
Set 3, 120 lb for 12 reps
shrug
Set 1, 80 lb for 12 reps
Set 2, 100 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 80 lb for 12 reps
lat pulldown
Set 1, 87.5 lb for 12 reps
Set 2, 112.5 lb for 5 reps
Set 3, 87.5 lb for 10 reps
cable straight arm pulldown
Set 1, 50 lb for 12 reps
Set 2, 90 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 70 lb for 12 reps
dumbbell lateral raise
Set 1, 30 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 50 lb for 4 reps
Set 3, 50 lb for 10 reps

Mostly all new workouts thanks to iFitness, still feeling very sore 1 day after this workout.

Workout Summary: 02Feb10
cycling
Set 1, 20(Duration), 150(Avg HR)
situp
Set 1, 0 lb for 11 reps inclined
Set 2, 0 lb for 11 reps inclined
Set 3, 0 lb for 11 reps inclined
cable crossover
Set 1, 100 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 100 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 100 lb for 10 reps
arnold press
Set 1, 50 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 50 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 50 lb for 10 reps
dumbbell incline bench press
Set 1, 50 lb for 11 reps
Set 2, 50 lb for 11 reps
Set 3, 50 lb for 11 reps
dumbbell side bend
Set 1, 25 lb for 12 reps
Set 2, 40 lb for 12 reps
Set 3, 40 lb for 12 reps
toe touch
Set 1, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 0 lb for 10 reps
bar upright row
Set 1, 50 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 50 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 50 lb for 10 reps
pulse up
Set 1, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 0 lb for 10 reps

Downloaded an app from the iTunes app store called iFitness allows you to track your workout and print it to pdf of csv:

Copied and pasted:

Workout Summary: 31 Jan 10

cycling
Set 1, 10(Duration), 150(Avg HR)
situp
Set 1, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 0 lb for 10 reps
triceps kickback
Set 1, 15 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 15 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 15 lb for 10 reps
Set 4, 15 lb for 10 reps
Set 5, 15 lb for 10 reps
Set 6, 15 lb for 10 reps
standing biceps curl
Set 1, 60 lb for 12 reps
Set 2, 70 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 60 lb for 10 reps
crunch twist
Set 1, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 4, 0 lb for 10 reps
barbell bench press
Set 1, 65 lb for 11 reps
Set 2, 75 lb for 10 reps
Set 3, 75 lb for 10 reps
clam
Set 1, 0 lb for 10 reps
Set 2, 0 lb for 10 reps
dumbbell lateral raise
Set 1, 30 lb for 11 reps
Set 2, 30 lb for 11 reps
Set 3, 30 lb for 11 reps

I am in my third week of lifting as of Sunday. And so far I can honestly say I am enjoying myself. There is something about being at the new Davenport gym that really drives me to work out. Recently I have been venturing into the actual weight room on the first floor, where in the past I would main stay in the cardio/resistance machine area and use the free weights there. The weight room has a lot more free weights as well as a few weight machines that are not out in the main area. Though to be honest I am not entirely sure how to use most of them so have been shying away from them as of now.

My current time working out is spent working out 20 minutes on the bike and 40 minutes lifting weights and using the resistance machines. I have a basic set of lifts that I do every day but nothing special. What I really need is a good lifting plan, does anyone know where I could find one?

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I had our 21 week ultrasound and found out that we are having a girl!

After seeing the picture of her cute little face on the ultrasound it really hit me that I am going to be a father soon. While I like to think I live my life rather responsibly there are a few things I would like to change before the baby is born and number one on that list is fitness. While I am not obese by any means I would like to drop some fat-pounds and put on some muscle before I become a father.

So here I begin using this blog as a driver to record each day that I work out posting my successes along with my struggles and hopefully get some advice on the way from you, my readers.

The goals and terms of my fitness plan are thus:

Workout 3-4 days a week starting

1 hour per workout

20 minutes of cardio

40 minutes of weight training

I’ll post more on day two including my current workout plan.

Maria and I had been a one-car-family for over a year now, but that all changed this past weekend. Late 2007 my former whip, a 1992 Acura Intergra became increasingly unstable and eventually died.  Having stuggled with only one car to make it to work, conflicting appointments and events we decided it was time to upgrade the Straatsma family line of cars. Before we began the long search we sat down and made a list of requirements and a secondary wish list of ‘dream features’. Here is the final list:

Requirements:

• Some form of traction control for winter driving
• Significantly More storage space than the Camry
• Medium to Large size with a high safety rating
• Comfortable seating for at least 5
• General Hotness

Wish List:

• All-Wheel or 4-Wheel Drive
• Crossover or SUV
• Decent Fuel Efficiency (20+ City and 24+ highway MPG )

We initially started looking at the Buick Rendezvous but decided that they were a little overpriced and the selection was not that good. That’s when we stumbled across the Ford Explorer at a local dealer. We initially looked at a black 2002 and Silver Birch 2005. Amazingly the 2002 had less millage than that 2005. However, not only was the 2005 Explorer in better shape it also had AdvanceTrac traction control and a better gas millage all while costing less than the 2002.

I have this crazy desire to know at least the basics about everything tech related and tonight was time to tackle game development. Having read up a little bit about the Source SDK (software developers kit) I figured it would be something I could jump into fairly quickly. The interface reminds me of and odd mix between 3ds Max (formerly 3D Studio Max) and Adobe Photoshop. Using the excellent Valve Developer Community Wiki I came up with a simple alleyway map featured below:

Here is the scenario; you are stuck on a desert island with a solar powered CD-player and only one mix CD to list to, what songs would you pick? The rules are basic; you are limited to 10 tracks and no two tracks from the artists.

Here’s my top 10, in order:

01. Sneaker Pimps – Half Life

02. Collective Soul – She Said

03. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under the Bridge

04. All-American Rejects – Move Along

05. Massive Attack – Butterfly Caught (RJD2 Remix)

06. Linkin Park – Bleed It Out

07. INXS – Need You Tonight

08. Counting Crows – Hanginaround

09. Bush – Machine Head

10. Tomoyasu Hotei – Battle Without Honor or Humanity

Now let’s see your list, feel free to post them in comments.

Due to a security hole in older versions of wordpress (sub 2.7) I needed to upgrade the back end of my site which no only broke all of my addins but it also broke my theme. I am currently riding with a default theme until the time at which I can create a new one.

A couple of months ago I did something I wanted to do for a long time but did not have the excess income until now, I picked up an Xbox 360. Microsoft dropped the price on the 360 the same weekend I picked the console. I went with the Xbox 360 Pro 60GB version with wireless controller for $300 and copy of Halo 3 (for free).
When I first picked up the console I just expected a typical gaming experience: plug it in, turn it on and play a game. What I didn’t expect was a very mature entertainment platform. Not only can you play games with the Xbox 360 you can also download movies, games, game demos and download movie rentals from your netflix account.
Microsoft has also built a very mature online gaming community in Xbox Live that allows you to easily play your favorite games with your friends. And with a recent update on the console interface they have made the system easier to navigate, tell what friends are up to and much easier on the eyes.

I’ve quickly discovered that owning an Xbox 360 is more like joining a club than owning a piece of hardware. Part of the process of setting up a new Xbox 360 is creating your “gamer tag” and Avatar (think Nintendo Mii). This unique tag is used for multiple things including tracking your achievements in every Xbox game, connecting with friends online, tracking your stats in multiplayer games, and storing Microsoft points used to buy games and movies in the Xbox marketplace.

Given my overall experience with the Xbox 360 and the sheer amount of content available I would recommend this system to anyone over the Nintendo Wii or Sony PlayStation 3.